Dozens more have been injured and thousands forced to flee their homes in the world’s newest state, said United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, was plunged into a civil war between 2013 and 2018 that left around 400,000 dead and four million displaced.

A 2018 power-sharing agreement between the warring parties had allowed for a precarious calm.

But for several months, violent clashes have set President Kiir’s faction against supporters of his rival, Vice President Riek Machar, who was arrested in March.

The fighting between Kiir’s SSPDF, Machar’s SPLA-IO, and their respective militias has left “at least 75 civilians killed and 78 others injured, and displaced thousands from their homes”, Turk said in a statement.

There are reports of “indiscriminate aerial bombardments, river and ground offensives” by the South Sudanese army against SPLA-IO positions in Jonglei State and Upper Nile regions,” the statement said.

On Wednesday, the SPLA-IO and allied armed groups launched a counter-offensive to recapture areas it had lost in Fangak county in Jonglei State, causing more civilians to flee their homes.

According to a UN estimate in mid-April, around 125,000 people have been displaced since the escalation of tensions.

Turk said dozens of opposition politicians linked to the SPLM-IO had been arrested, including Machar, ministers, MPs, and army officers, as had civilians.

He expressed concern over arbitrary detentions and a rise in hate speech since February.

The escalation of violence risks further worsening the already terrible humanitarian situation and widespread violations of human rights, he said.

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The Western Hemisphere’s poorest country has plunged into virtual anarchy, with gangs taking over the capital, Port-au-Prince, and the security and health systems collapsing.

The UN rights office (OHCHR) said in a report that about 600,000 people were displaced in the first six months of 2024 and 1,280 were injured in gang violence, including 295 women and 63 children. 

In that period, at least 893 individuals, including 25 children, were kidnapped and held for ransom by criminal groups, who were vying for power in a vacuum left by a political crisis and weak state authority.

 The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, urged the Haitian authorities and the international community to do more to protect people on the Caribbean island.

It said the gangs had changed their modus operandi this year.

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Gaza’s Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said 18 people were killed in the strike on al-Jaouni school in Nuseirat refugee camp, which is being used as a shelter by thousands of displaced Palestinians.

Israel’s military says it carried out a precise strike on terrorists planning attacks from the school, and that it had taken measures to avoid harm to civilians.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the attack amounted to dramatic violations of international humanitarian law in a post on X.

In July, 16 people were reportedly killed in a strike which the Israeli military said had targeted several structures at the school used by Hamas fighters.

Hamas – which is proscribed as a terrorist group by Israel, the UK and other countries – has denied using schools and other civilian sites for military purposes.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, hit out at Guterres’ criticism of the strike and said it was unconscionable that the UN continues to condemn Israel in its just war against terrorists.

Israeli forces launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken back to Gaza as hostages.

More than 41,080 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric told reporters the UN condemned “all air strikes that target civilians and those that also target UN facilities”

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Reports say Aysenur Eygi, 26 years old, was shot dead by Israeli forces as she took part in a weekly protest against Jewish settlement expansion in the town of Beita near Nablus.

Israel’s military said it was looking into reports that a foreign national was killed as a result of shots fired in the area.

The US also called for an investigation into the incident. Sean Savett, spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council, said Washington was deeply disturbed by the tragic death of an American citizen.

Footage from the scene shortly after the shooting showed medics rushing  Eygi into an ambulance.  Head of Rafidia Hospital where  Eygi was admitted, Fouad Nafaa disclosed that a US citizen in her mid-20s had died from a gunshot in the head.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken deplored the tragic loss, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan branded the Israeli action barbaric.

Turkey’s foreign ministry said  Eygi had been killed by Israeli occupation soldiers in the city of Nablus.

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During a visit to a stabilization center in Yola, Adamawa State, on World Humanitarian Day, Fall highlighted the urgent need for assistance. He emphasized that 4.8 million people are projected to be food insecure during the lean season, and 230,000 children face the threat of life-threatening malnutrition.

Fall called on the international community to stand in solidarity with the affected children and their families, who are struggling to cope with the devastating consequences of food insecurity. He urged partners to mobilize resources and address the severe malnutrition crisis in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.

The UN coordinator expressed deep concern about the heartbreaking scenes witnessed at the stabilization center, where children were fighting for their lives. He emphasized the need for immediate action to alleviate the suffering of these innocent children.

While acknowledging the challenges, Fall expressed optimism about the efforts of the federal and state governments to address the situation. He commended the support provided by organizations like the International Rescue Committee and UNICEF in operating stabilization centers.

A medical practitioner at the center highlighted the overwhelming demand for services, with an average of 96,000 patients seeking treatment annually. The crisis underscores the urgent need for comprehensive interventions to combat malnutrition and ensure the survival of vulnerable children in the region.

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The prediction comes in the wake of a persistent hike in food prices in the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s food inflation rate hit a record high of 40.66 per cent in May 2024, surpassing the previous month’s 40.53 increase.   This surge represents the largest year-on-year increase in food prices since records began in 1996.

Historically, food inflation in Nigeria has averaged 13.42 per cent, with the lowest point of -17.50 per cent in January 2000.

In 2023, the Food and Agriculture Organisation predicted that no fewer than 2.6 million Nigerians in Borno, Sokoto and Zamfara states, and the FCT may face a food crisis between June and August 2024.

According to a government-led Cadre Harmonisé analysis released in March, 2024, approximately 4.8 million people in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are experiencing severe food insecurity, the highest level in seven years.

Also, as Nigerian workers commemorated the 2024 May Day, Organised Labour expressed concern about the country’s rising food prices and fuel scarcity, saying that the current situation threatened the survival of workers.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, also recently warned that a hunger riot might soon break out in Nigeria, calling on the Federal Government to act fast.

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